Heart in Seoul
by Major Mario
Summary: [Sequel to One Night in Bangkok] - As the winter season rolls in, loneliness begins to gnaw at Adon as he languishes in Thailand. During a conversation with his old mentor, he's reminded of a Korean woman who gave him great joy and companionship many times. Though it's been many months and a whole Shadaloo incident since last they met, Adon seeks to find Juri Han in Seoul.
1. Prologue

If there was ever another reason to dislike Sagat, Adon found one in that pet tiger of his. He wasn't certain where the beast came from or how it got into his old master's care, but nevertheless, it was a wild, proud and majestic animal that had no business being the companion of a washed-up, old fool. To see the massive cat lounging in the sun or strutting about his old master's humble abode like a guard dog irked Adon to no end. Unfortunately, the village of Pai was a small one, and though Adon made an effort to ignore the Muay Thai giant and his new pet, confrontations and mere sightings were inevitable.

The crazy codger even named the tiger. Phicit Willa Maiu was his name as given by the village children, though Sagat simply referred to him as Maiu, or "cat". Adon was baffled at the audacity of it all. He felt embarrassed for the tiger, even! Such a magnificent, powerful beast ought to roam the jungle and delight in the freedom of nature.

But the worst thing about this gaudy tiger situation was that, despite Sagat and Adon's best efforts, Maiu seemed to adore Adon. The damned animal would slink away from Sagat and find a reason to bother the prodigal student, and there was no room to reason with it. If Maiu wanted to come into Adon's village house and the door was locked tight, he would press his weight against it until the bolts began to strain. He would chuff and grunt and butt his head against Adon, demanding attention, and if the man outright refused to humor the cat, Maiu would use his weight again and knock Adon over before sprawling out on top of him.

When over six-hundred pounds threatened to crush Adon outright, the man soon learned to give the big cat as much attention as it wanted.

"Of all the places to loaf about..."

Even now Maiu was lounging in front of Adon's favourite punching bag. He could very well use it anyway just the same as any other piece of equipment, but with how close Maiu was, the bag was bound to hit the big cat. A tiger like him would be able to shrug off a ricochet blow, but Adon wasn't worried about that. No, it seemed that if Maiu was slighted in any way, shape or form around Adon, he tended to think that it was all Adon's doing, and that usually led to a firm headbutt, a swipe of the paw or worst of all, a lick from that flesh-stripping tongue of his.

Simple affection from a massive tiger was painful, to say the least.

"Look at yourself. You're supposed to be the very model of pride and power, and here you are acting like some common housecat." Adon moved to where the tiger sat and shook his head as he loomed over it. "And here I am scolding you like a common housecat. Well, in any case, it's time for you to get up and get out."

Maiu chuffed, rolled out his tongue and let out a massive yawn before flopping over to show his stomach. Once Adon had been fooled by this display. Once.

"You're hardly two years old and you're acting just like the old fool. So complacent!" The Muay Thai prodigy paused at the thought and rubbed his chin before offering up a sigh of disgust. "Right. I suppose you want me to lead you back to him."

At the mention of Sagat, Maiu rolled back over and got up on all fours as if he was a dog being offered a walk. Though the tiger's eyes seemed innocent enough, Adon could see victory glimmering in them. Perhaps Maiu got some pleasure out of forcing this red-haired Thai man to interact with his one-eyed master. Normally Adon would throw a fit at this, but today he figured some humiliation was par for the course that day.

"Tch… Fine. Let's get it out of the way."

Being that the jaguar's training grounds were outside on a large patio, all it took was a hop, skip and a jump away to get onto one of Pai's idyllic dirt paths. Adon ignored the looks given to him by his fellow villagers and forced a smile when the children crowded around him and Maiu just as expected. Alone Adon was not to be trifled with, but if he had a gigantic and friendly tiger beside him and running the show, any bad reputation Adon had was thrown out the window. To his credit, Adon wasn't as sour or rude as he used to be many years ago, so it wasn't too farfetched to believe a villager or two actually enjoyed his company.

Dodging children and brushing past onlookers, Adon navigated his way out from the village and up a short, winding hillside to where his disgraced master had his home. Though Adon had outfitted his home with plenty of modern amenities, he had to admit that Sagat had him beat. The house looming over him was a short and squat thing with plenty of yard space and a view to die for. Not only could Sagat gaze over the village of Pai like a king, but he could also look out into the vast jungles of Thailand. It was a warm, inviting home that had seen many foreign visitors, which was more than Adon could say for his cold and professional abode.

Speaking of foreign visitors Adon noticed a strange woman sitting outside Sagat's home with the giant himself. Comfortable in a cushioned wicker chair and balancing a piping-hot cup of tea in her hands, this woman exuded a dignified and mystical air about her. Sleek purple hair in a unique style, crystal-clear blue eyes and a red evening gown over a tight-fitting violet bodysuit of some kind hearkened to this woman's eccentricity.

It had to be Rose.

"She can be so childish and naive, but that's just one of many reasons why I adore her."

"Hmph. Be careful with overeager, idealistic students," Sagat grumbled out. He sat in his favorite chair, one of very few that were crafted to his tall stature. "One day they might just turn against you."

"Well now, keep up that attitude and I'll have to ask for more sugar," Rose chirped back in reply. She meant well despite the bitterness radiating from Sagat. "Once you meet Menat, I'm certain she'll make a good f-"

The Italian fortune-teller cut herself off when she noticed not only Adon had appeared nearby but also a massive tiger. Adon expected the woman to leap out of her seat and scream, and yet her eyes lit up with adoration. Maiu took one look at Rose and knew that he could get some wicked awesome scratches behind the ears from her, among other things.

"Hello! Is this your tiger I've been hearing about, Sagat?"

"Cat, shoo," Sagat ordered from his lounger. He glared up at Adon with his one misty-white eye. "Same to you."

"Too bad, old man," Adon shot back. "Your pet's interfering with my training. Nearly every day it's been a thorn in my side."

The men paused and looked on as Maiu trotted over to Rose and stuffed his chin into her outstretched hands. He chuffed and rubbed his cheeks all over Rose's hands, but there was no need. Already she was scratching the tiger all over, poking into the soft fur, ruffling the sensitive nerves behind his ears, massaging his temples and generally treating him like one big housecat. Adon and Sagat spared a glance at each other and came to a tacit, begrudging agreement that such a thing was disgraceful for a mighty tiger.

Maiu didn't care in the slightest.

"You're a handsome devil, aren't you? I wager you give Sagat here all kinds of trouble." Looking up from her brand new friend for life, Rose smiled at Adon. "Hello Adon. How are you?"

Adon briefly considered brushing the odd woman off, but that smile of hers was warm and inviting. Perhaps he had grown soft, but then again he wasn't as conceited as he used to be.

"He's adrift," Sagat interjected. "Been that way since-"

"I wasn't asking you, Sagat."

Rose's tone was pleasant yet firm like that of a nurturing mother to a fussy child. She was as serene as the flower which bore her name, and yet even roses have their thorns. Sagat, standing at well over seven feet and possessing a strength that far surpassed the majestic tiger he idolized, was struck silent. He shot a cursory glance at Rose before looking away with a huff. Adon thought he could see a slight upturn of his lips as well as a little flush of color in his cheeks, but surely that couldn't be.

"I suppose I'm just going through the motions," Adon answered with a shrug. "It's been uneventful the past few months."

"You're Thailand's best fighter, not considering those who have retired. I can't imagine a man like you left wanting for fights." Rose let go of Maiu's head and let out a pleased chuckle as the tiger curled up in front of her legs. "Though, it is the winter season. It may be pleasant here, but elsewhere people are preoccupied with keeping warm and close."

"That's not it. I have half a mind to blame Bison and whatever shenanigans he pulled a few months ago," Adon muttered in reference to the evil dictator's final farewell plot for world domination. As for Adon, he had kept his nose out of any of it. "No, I've just hit a dry spell. I'm at the top; the true Emperor of Muay Thai, and yet I'm left wanting for some reason." He reached for an unclaimed chair and sat down across from Sagat. "Which brings me back here. I had hoped that butting heads with my former master," he grumbled out while Sagat scoffed at the title, "would rekindle my fighting spirit, but the tiger's claws are truly broken."

"You keep trying to provoke me into a fight. We have nothing to gain from fighting one another anymore," Sagat sagely replied.

"You have nothing to gain," Adon corrected with a snarl. "I, on the other hand, get to be rid of you."

Ever the mediator, Rose was quick to interject again.

"I believe Sagat threw his weight around during the Black Moon incident," she said, stepping out from Adon's corner to defend the giant. "Don't presume that he has no fight left in him anymore."

As far as Adon knew, this Black Moon incident Bison stirred up brought out all sorts of freaks and weirdos. A giant abomination with the brain capacity of a four-year-old, some American cadaver, a couple of failed Shadaloo experiments and an Aztec demon were amongst the colorful cast that was said to be active during this incident. Adon figured most of them weren't worth his time, though a part of him hungered for a good fight regardless. Absurd or not, a new fighter was a chance for Adon to better hone his skills. If Sagat had fought with even a quarter of this new cast, then perhaps Rose's warning was in good faith.

"Feh... Shadaloo satellites with the power to blot out the sun? Bison was a lunatic who deserved what he got." The hostile snarl on Adon's lips smoothed out into a firm and composed frown. "Still... I get the message." A rather lighthearted smile soon faded in as Adon took on a sarcastic tone. "So, old man, did you meet back up with those old Shadaloo friends of yours?"

Sagat huffed and reached down to scratch at Maiu's side as the big tiger, content with Rose's affection, moved back to lounge beside his master.

"Actually I did, and it wasn't at all unpleasant." A knowing smile appeared on Sagat's face as he looked back up at Adon. "Ah, and speaking of old friends, I met one of yours. The Spider of SIN. Juri, I believe."

Adon's expression went stoic in a heartbeat. Never mind how Sagat knew about the relationship between Adon and Juri Han. Such a thing wasn't a secret, though it wasn't common knowledge enough to warrant a police investigation given her criminal status. No, Adon heard her name and was taken aback. Memories came flooding back and, strangely enough, Adon felt as if he had found just the thing to fill the void in his soul.

But that couldn't be. Surely it was an over-exaggeration.

"Strange woman," Sagat continued. "I've never met anyone quite like her."

"Oh, Juri you say?" Now it was Rose's turn to add fuel to the fires of speculation. "Hmm... Yes, Menat did say she met a woman from SIN in her travels. I know for a fact that she worked against Shadaloo during that incident."

"You know for a fact?" Adon repeated with a questioning raise of his brow.

"Yes. A good friend of mine from England fought alongside her and, with her help, they rescued the twelve Shadaloo Dolls under Bison's control, among other things."

"Is that so? I figured her for a petulant child at first," Sagat mused aloud. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his massive chest. "So she's a wildcard… An irrepressible force who chooses to forge her own path. With that… I can see why you would fancy her, Adon."

For Adon, a comment like that came out of left field. On its own it wouldn't mean much, but Adon had been primed to ask a question that would have been the death of him. He wanted to ask if Juri had said anything about him, or briefly mentioned him in passing. Something, anything that would tell him that she still thought of him. God only knows how much Adon had been thinking of her, and yet now that he was challenged by his old master, he did what any sensible man would do.  
"I don't fancy her," Adon denied, far too defensive for his own good. He huffed and dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "No, I… I just enjoy her company. Strong, brash women are hard to find these days."

The looks Sagat and Rose gave Adon were more than a little unsettling. The Thai prodigy would have accepted disgust, disappointment or indifference. Instead, that damned smile on Sagat's lips widened enough to show some teeth while Rose looked like a mother who had just found out that their child had a crush.

"You enjoyed her company enough to invite her to Bangkok for a night out?"

"I didn't invite- H-how the hell did you know about that?" Adon sputtered at the audacity of Sagat's words. He soon whirled upon Rose with an accusing finger jabbed her way. "And you! Don't look at me like that!"

"I think it's wonderful! You must have many fond memories of her as your companion, and I can only assume she has several of you in turn," Rose cooed. She maintained her soothing aura even as Adon boiled away nearby. "Maybe the reason you seem so listless is that you long for her again? It has been quite some time since you've seen her, yes?"

Despite how bold Rose was being, Adon couldn't help but see the truth in her words. But first of all, just what was Juri to him? When the two first met, Adon thought the worst of her. It took several fights before the two discovered respect for one another, and from then on the encounters shifted from hostile to fair, even pleasant at times. The man had very few friends given his aloof, antagonistic disposition, but it didn't mean that he didn't enjoy another's company. For Juri, even after all the bickering, broken bones and spilt blood he considered the woman a good friend of his.

It was only after that wonderful night in Bangkok that Adon started to see her as a romantic interest. He couldn't forget any of it. The Tom Yum Goong, the sway of Juri's hips as she danced alongside him, loosening up over a bottle of Thai rum; it was all firmly ingrained in the man's memory. So too was the climax of their evening. Whether it was because of the lack of inhibitions or their feelings demanding to be expressed, the two slept together. Pride pressured Adon to believe it was a one-time fling, and yet ever since he felt Juri's body molded against his own his nights became cold and lonely.

"It… It has been awhile," Adon admitted with a bow of his head as he directed his gaze downwards. "But surely she has moved on. We're both adults with lives of our own."

For a moment Sagat and Rose were silent. Then, after sharing a look with one another, they dived back in. Still as serene as always, Rose deposited her empty cup of tea on a nearby table and sat up with her back rigid as if she was a therapist. Given her tender disposition, she could have very well moonlighted as one.

"What if she longs for you as well?" Rose wondered aloud. Appealing to the man's arrogance seemed like a good idea to her. "From what I heard from Sagat, that night you spent in Bangkok together was the culmination of a long line of outings. She sought you out time after time and you always received her. When I was a girl, it was always the men who chased after women."

Sagat wasn't a therapist, and neither was he a tender man. Discretion and honeyed words were not something he employed. Though he was blunt with his words and did not hide his disdain for his student, he still cared enough for the fiery-haired man to offer advice, albeit in his own fashion.

"It isn't like you to be so reserved, or should I say, resigned to a baseless assumption," Sagat chided as Maiu once again prodded his master for attention. The giant reached down and gave the big cat a pat on the head before fixing Adon with a piercing glare. "Show some backbone. Go find her and see for yourself."

"And what do you care?" Adon was up and out of his seat before Sagat could raise a hand to stop him. "You just want me out of your sight."

"Well, yes," Sagat confessed with a shrug of his shoulders.

Where one would gasp or look on in silence as trouble brewed, instead there came a coo of endearment and fluttered eyelashes.

"Oh Sagat, it's nice to see that you still have that in you."

"...W-what?"

It took a woman like Rose to latch onto the affirmative in a situation like this. Crossing one leg over the other, the fortune teller adopted a sly smile and leaned towards Sagat despite the distance between them.

"It sounds like the teacher genuinely cares for his student," Rose explained as the large hulk of a man fidgeted in his seat. Heat flared in his cheeks as tried to interject, but the woman shot him down. "Adon, what Sagat means to say is that he wishes the best for you, and that your happiness is critical. In fact, if you wish to seek out and rekindle your relationship with your companion, you should know that you have Sagat's full support."

Adon wasn't known to hide his fiendish delight whenever someone was uncomfortable, and against Sagat he was no exception. Alabaster-white teeth shone bright as the man flashed his gremlin grin.

"Ah, is that so?" The one-eyed giant's troubled frown grew into a disgusted scowl which only egged Adon on further. However, before he could lash out with a cutting remark to topple Sagat from his high horse, a thought came to Adon's mind and pulled him back from flying too close to the sun. "I… I wouldn't know where to look to begin with. Juri's an elusive woman, and doubly so given, erm, her criminal status."

That he fancied a wanted woman never really bothered Adon. Juri wasn't nearly as monstrous as others made her out to be. The same could be said for himself, provided one could get past the prideful, boisterous personality of his.

"She always managed to find me, however. Granted, I'm not very inconspicuous," Adon sighed with a self-deprecating smile.

"She's Korean, yes?" Rose asked. "I assume she's from the south, and if so… Have you considered Seoul?"

"That's the capital of South Korea, isn't it?"

"And their biggest city, I believe."

It seemed like a shot in the dark, but it was all that Adon had to go on. He didn't want to consider the idea that if Juri knew where to find him she would have done so already, and since she hadn't, that she either didn't want to see him again or she was dead and buried somewhere. If he went to Seoul, perhaps he could make enough waves to get the woman's attention. There was only one way to find out.

"I assume that I have your blessing, Sagat," Adon said as he looked back towards the giant.  
"Damn the blessing. Get out of here," Sagat growled as he made a shooing gesture with his hand. Maiu groaned at the command and began to lumber away while Adon turned on his heel and started to walk off. "And while you're at it, don't come- No Maiu, I wasn't talking to you. You can stay."

The massive tiger paused, glanced up at Adon with those yellow eyes of his and stuffed his head into the man's side.

"So you'll miss me, huh?" Adon shook his head, clicked his tongue and reached down to run his fingers through the tiger's cheeks. Maiu whined and vocalized his concerns, but ultimately let the man be. "Don't worry. I'll probably return. Someone needs to keep the old man from getting complacent."

Adon gave the tiger a few reassuring pats and scratches before taking his leave. Rose bid him farewell with that motherly smile of hers while Sagat feigned indifference from his wicker throne.

"Good luck to you, and please pack warm clothing," the fortune-teller advised. "Seoul will be cold!"  
"He's a grown man," Sagat commented. "There's no need to concern yourself over him. That arrogant whelp will probably go into the frozen wastes with nothing but his shorts on so long as there's a fight in store."

At that Rose giggled and stood up from her seat. She stood at the edge of Sagat's patio, watched as the fiery plume of Adon's hair disappeared behind Pai's many village huts and then turned back to the one-eyed giant with a flirtatious look about her. All this talk of finding one's soul mate, whether Adon knew it or not, had sparked an idea in Rose's mind. She was old enough to know better, and yet far too young to resist the temptation.

Sagat squirmed under the woman's luscious gaze while Maiu wisely made himself scarce.

"So, Sagat," Rose cooed, "now that we have a moment to ourselves, I'm reminded that this village has a few hot springs. Would you care to join me for a spell?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Please comment/review.


	2. Finding

Seoul, the birthplace of K-pop and the pride of South Korea, wasn't as impressive as Adon had hoped. The wild and carefree types of people weren't as prevalent here as they were in Bangkok, or so it seemed to Adon. Whereas Bangkok was a place of sin, adventure and opportunity like Las Vegas of America, Seoul was more of a cosmopolitan, commercial hub that just-so-happened to have a large population living within it. Pleasure could be found if one looked in the right places, but for the most part it was purely business with a small slice of residential life.

Adon had prepared for cold temperatures there in Seoul given the winter season, but he had overestimated just how cold it could get. A heavy parka, a scarf, thick pants and boots made up his initial appearance before a combination of no snow whatsoever and judgemental stares from locals convinced him to dress lighter. He pawned off what he didn't need and instead went with a comfortable jacket and slacks. Decked out in trademarked South Korean attire and clutching a translation book in hand, Adon couldn't shake the feeling that even the dopiest of tourists fit in better here than he did.

Once the initial culture shock and embarrassment wore off Adon committed himself to the reason why he came here in the first place. He had to find Juri Han. There wasn't a doomsday plot in play that required her present, she hadn't slighted Adon or run off with all his money and if there was a bounty on her head, Adon had no interest in bringing her in. His pride gnawed at him; it was difficult for him to admit that he had been left wanting since he had last seen Juri.

The jaguar, high and mighty as he was, had languished without the spider in his life.

"Have you seen this woman?"

Random citizens would turn to Adon, glance at the picture in his hand and, for the most part, quickly walk away. At this time the internet was growing like a weed, and one could find so much more than pornography and pictures of cats. It was accessible enough for a computer-illiterate man like Adon to find a picture of Juri and print it out. She was a slippery woman, so most pictures were passing captures from security cameras or brave, unskilled photographers. After another citizen scurried away from the tightly-clenched picture of Juri Han for the umpteenth time, Adon found himself regretting not getting a good, decent picture of the woman.

Apparently, a wild-eyed woman with crazy hair-horns and a provocative, revealing outfit tended to turn a lot of heads away, and doubly so if she was a notorious criminal. Others were more vocal with their tension.

"Have you seen th-"

"Oh no, not her. Don't tell me that she's here in Seoul," gasped a housewife.

"Are you a detective or something?" Businessmen would look Adon up and down as if they were more concerned about a foreigner among them than a wild woman. "You're with the police, right? Fat lot of good you've done since she's still free."

"I've never seen her in my entire life," whimpered a coward as he flinched away from the photograph. "Nope, never. Please leave me alone."

People had good reasons to fear and detest Juri Han, but some were downright fanatical about it. Adon was thankful that he didn't understand Korean too well, for some of the responses he got might have driven him into a fury. He didn't need to understand the language to detect the venom and bile behind some citizens' words.

"Yes, I get it. She's the bringer of death and despair and blah blah blah…" Adon cocked his thumb and ushered away a bitter elderly couple. "You're so old and rotten, I can even see mold growing on you. Get!"

As entertaining as it was to question random civilians on the street, this wasn't getting Adon anywhere. He would have to go to the best, most trusted source of gossip and intel there was in the world. Plus he felt like he needed a drink, so a bar it was.

There were plenty of options to choose from, but most of the bars were too tame for Adon's tastes. He wouldn't be caught dead sipping cocktails or margaritas in some tacky tavern. Gaudy neon lights pointed Adon to a short and squat little bar sandwiched between two much higher and more scrupulous buildings. It was an unassuming, humble establishment whose most dedicated customers were the rain and wind that weathered the bricks and siding. With very little attention drawn to the place, Adon figured only locals would be here; just the kind of people he was hoping to talk to.

The smell of smoke and exotic booze filled Adon's nostrils as soon as he took a step inside. Roughly half a dozen men from different walks of life were either lined up at the bar or nursing a beer in a booth. The furniture was old; the faded frills and stitched seams reminded Adon of American furniture from the 80's. A small TV was hung up beyond the bar with some kind of sportscast going on. The bartender, a tall and unkempt man, mumbled a greeting to Adon while a few of the patrons looked him over with due scrutiny.

Though the bar didn't have much of a selection that tickled Adon's fancy, he sat up to the counter and pointed to the taps.

"I'll take a… that."

"Hite?"

"Yeah, sure," Adon replied with a shrug.

A tall glass of amber beer was soon deposited in front of Adon. When in Rome, he thought as he took a hearty chug. Liquid courage ingested, not that he needed any of it, the fiery-haired man dug out a few wons and got the bartender's attention.

"I'm looking for someone," he said as he handed over the paper.

"Oh yeah? That's why you came to a bar, huh?"

"So you're savvy. That's good," Adon snorted. He produced the picture of Juri and placed it on the counter for the barman to see. "Ever seen a woman like this around recently?"

The bartender gave Juri's picture a once-over before flicking his eyes back to Adon. Unlike other bartenders who were suave and charismatic, this fellow was honest. There was no mistaking the disinterested look about him that had been practiced and perfected on hundreds of patrons, both foreign and domestic. Adon countered the indifference with a stern, stoic glare, one that warned the barkeep not to brush him off so easily.

"That's Han Taehyung's little girl, Juri. I might have seen her, but I'm not quite sure."

"I don't do bribes."

"That wasn't an invitation for one, outsider," scoffed the barkeep. "If you've come here to ask about her, then you've already tried your luck elsewhere. The word on the street is that she disappeared off the face of the earth after Shadaloo went under."

"And…?" Adon pressed.

"Like I said, I might have seen her, but that was weeks ago. If she's really as clever as they say she is, then she's already skipped town. I would if I were her."

A few of the patrons were silent as they listened in on the conversation. Adon hardly batted an eye towards any of them as he nursed his beer.

"Any reason why she would come to Seoul? Any idea where she would go?"

One of the patrons spoke up in a growling tone beside Adon.

"What's a fellow like you doing looking for her in the first place?" A burly and bearded old man glowered at Adon from over his glass of whiskey. "You some kind of bounty hunter?"

"What's it matter to you?" The beer was half-empty by then and Adon was running out of patience. He took the picture of Juri and stuffed it back into a pocket of his jacket. "She's a wanted woman, isn't she? I would have figured all of Seoul would be champing at the bit to see her behind bars or worse."

There were a few people in the bar who nodded and murmured in agreement at Adon's words. He made a good point despite him not wanting to bring it up at all. If anything, the citizens on the street who were intimidated by a picture of Juri gave Adon hope that the woman was still slinking around somewhere. The bearded man, perhaps the eldest of the patrons gathered from what Adon could tell, looked to the others for a moment before sighing.

"Listen," he began, "I knew Taehyung, Juri's father. He was one of the best men South Korea ever had. A man of morals and integrity. Little Juri was a troublemaker, but she had a good heart just like Taehyung did. When the news got around about the Shadaloo attack, folks who knew the family were devastated." This bearded man paused, took a swig of whiskey and then continued on with his attention razor-focused on Adon. "What I'm trying to say-"

"I get it," Adon interrupted with a nod of his head. "I can respect that; really, I can. But being tight-lipped out of respect doesn't help me at all."

It was at that moment that Adon noticed a woman amongst the group of drinkers. She secluded herself in a corner of the room up until now, as she got up and approached Adon from his other side. Brooding blond hair concealed one of her aquamarine eyes while the same color was glossed over her lips. Biker goggles and a tight-fitting leather catsuit and boots announced that she came here on a motorbike of sorts, though Adon didn't recall seeing one parked outside the bar. This was a foreign woman; Adon suspected she was European, but he wasn't one-hundred percent sure.

Whoever she was, there was a familiar air about her.

"May I see the picture?" she asked as she held out her hand.

Without a word Adon produced the picture of Juri once again and offered it up to the woman. Despite the cool look about the woman, when she looked upon Juri's face there was no mistaking the recognition in her eyes. Her eyebrows twitched then rose as she turned back to Adon.

"Ah, ja, I've seen this woman before."

"Where?"

"Not here," the woman replied as she returned the photo. Adon's eyes narrowed for a split-second before he got the message. "Come."

Adon knew better than to trust a woman he had just met. It was too convenient, too good to be true. That said, the woman seemed clever enough to figure that a bar, while fantastic for picking up rumors and the like, was not the place to discuss things. Too many people could be listening in, and who could tell if they had sinister motives?

"Fine. Lead on."

Exchanging the smoky warmth of the bar for the chill of the outdoors, the two would start down the sidewalk.

"You have a name, don't you," Adon all but demanded out of the woman.

"I do," came the curt reply. Those turquoise lips curled up in a small smile. "My name is Falke. And you?"

"...Adon."

"Ah, gut." Falke, in her leather catsuit, was not at all bothered by the chill in the air. She strode forward at a reasonable pace while Adon stalked behind her. "A few weeks ago there was a break-in at the Han family's estate. No alarms were triggered, no-one nearby heard anything, and little, if anything, was out of place. If it weren't for Juri's fingerprints and a few broken locks, there would have been no reason to suspect anything."

The woman took a turn down an alley and Adon, invested in what she had to say, followed along without thinking much about it.

"And how do you know this?"

"It was on the news, of course, as well as the internet," Falke replied with a wave of her hand as if that was all Adon needed to hear.

"Oh yes, the news," came the unconvinced scoff. "So what, are you saying that Juri was homesick and broke into her own home? Where would she go after that?"

Distance had grown between the two as the alleyway closed in on them. There wasn't much to be said about South Korean alleys; any cramped space between buildings was bound to look the same. At least there weren't vermin skittering about, and there weren't any down and out bums or thugs hanging around here. Still, an alley was an alley; the perfect place for shady business. Or rather, the most likely place for a knife between the ribs.

Falke came to a stop just out of arm's reach of Adon and, with her back turned to him, she spoke up once again.

"You didn't answer that man back there," she stated. "Why are you looking for Juri?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"If you want this conversation to continue, then yes," Falke replied as she turned around to face Adon. Her tone was amicable and her posture was inviting, yet Adon could sense the hostility brewing inside her. "Because not only have I seen her, I know where she is."

Adon knew nothing of Falke's motives, but he could wager a few guesses. She could be a bounty hunter looking to dispose of any competition, an undercover detective searching for accomplices or information or even a self-assured journalist seeking the story of the year. That last one was highly unlikely, but what Adon could be certain of was that Falke was no friend of Juri's. If anything, Falke could be some assassin sent to kill her, and if she learned about the connection between her and Adon, there was no way that she wouldn't play that to her advantage.

Such thoughts swarmed Adon as he shot back with his retort.

"I don't have to explain myself to you. Now you tell me what you know…" Adon snarled and leaned forward as the very last of his patience slipped away. "Or I'll beat it out of you."

"Ah… That's the wrong answer." The blonde clicked her tongue and shook her head. She reached for something on her hip, some cylinder of sorts, and gave it a toss in her hand. "Fine. We'll do this the hard way, then."

With an audible 'pop' and 'schlit' the unassuming cylinder in Falke's hand unravelled and spread out in different directions to form a dark staff. A sinister violet sheen ran up the length of the shaft, one that filled Adon with a sense of déjà vu.

"Psycho Power," he observed. Adon rolled his shoulders and eased himself into his Muay Thai fighting stance. "You're one of Shadaloo's assassins, huh?"

"I am not with Shadaloo," Falke barked back as she swung her staff back to hold it in a prepared position. "Not anymore."

"Fine. One of their failed experiments then. Either way, you-"

Falke didn't allow Adon to continue. Rage took hold and fueled a quick dash forward only to end with a heavy poking blow straight to Adon's midsection from her staff. With him off guard and unknowing of the nerve he had struck, it seemed like a good start for Falke. The man stumbled back with a pained yelp as violet energy crackled over him like a static discharge.

First hits weren't the be-all-end-all, especially when it came to Adon. From the very moment he stepped foot in South Korea the man had been itching for a fight. Conflict was in his nature. Now that he had a valuable source of information, the jaguar was going to let loose.

"So that's how it's going to be," Adon said with a sigh as he straightened up. He drew an uncovered, calloused hand up through his wild red hair and grinned, still as cocky as ever. "Good! Come at me!"

If Falke was either impressed or discouraged she didn't show it. She stalked forward with her staff at the ready while Adon was quick to close the distance. Brawling in the ring for fortune and glory was exhilarating enough, but a good ol' fashioned street fight got Adon's blood pumping in a way that nothing else compared. Here he didn't have to worry about holding back, not that he ever considered it in the first place. A few jabs to the woman's side were blocked, but a sweep to the leg made her stumble and retaliate with a wayward slash.

Ducking under Falke's staff, Adon rose and sent another sharp jab into her ribs and followed up with an elbow slash across her temple. Those biker goggles of hers did little to cushion the force behind the strike, but at the very least there was only a deep, gnawing pain in Falke's temples instead of a cut. Disoriented by the strike, Falke lashed out once again with a retaliatory strike that was once again dodged. Adon figured he might as well give her another set of blows, but the woman had stepped back and out of reach.

"So you're quick," Falke murmured more to herself than to Adon. "That won't matter to Harmony here."

Again Adon closed the distance between them with his hands up and at the ready. His jabs were quick yet they lacked the power of his kicks. If he whittled Falke down, surprised her or managed to punish one of her overextended attacks, a good kick could mean lights out for the thin lass. It seemed that Falke knew this; she put herself on the defensive and inched backwards to buy time. She could be patient, far more patient than Adon could manage.

A few probing pokes and jabs would be sent her way until Falke finally sprung back against Adon with a stab from her staff. Harmony landed right within Adon's solar plexus and left him feeling anything but happy about it. From there Falke pressed the advantage with a firm shove followed by a horizontal swing. Though Adon managed to block this one, the violet power lashed against his arm like a strong gust of wind and left him feeling numb. He wasn't sure if it was the woman or the staff itself that held power; either way, he would be wise not to underestimate her from here on out.

There would be plenty of time to strengthen that thought as Adon was sent crashing to the ground by a hooked leg sweep from Falke.

"Gah!" These alleyways were a cesspool for broken glass and other unmentionables, so it was in Adon's good fortune that he landed on good hard cement. He rolled away from an attempt to pin him in place with Falke's staff and leapt back to his feet. "Deny it all you want. You're just an assassin without a handler."

"And you're a bounty hunter so out of the loop it's sickening," Falke shot back. She twirled her staff, tugged it tight against her side and held it like a shotgun at the hip. "Feuer!"

And just like a shotgun, the end of Falke's staff exploded and sent violet energy blasting out towards Adon's center mass. Projectiles were the bane of so many 'normal' fighters, but not for Adon. It helped that Falke telegraphed and announced her move beforehand, though the man had been anticipating some kind of gimmick from the woman ever since he saw the violet sheen of her staff. Leaping up and over the 'shrapnel' Adon flipped forward and brought the weight of his heel down upon Falke's shoulders. A critical hit, so to say, and one that should have kept Falke from trying that again.

But the woman kept lashing out with her staff and sent more violet lashes towards the acrobatic Muay Thai fighter. Falke seemed determined to use all the moves and tools at her disposal, and to her credit she was rather crafty about it. Though she tended to fire her projectiles at Adon like a shotgun or rifle, there were times when she sent Psycho Power rippling across the concrete to force the man to jump, and when he was airborne, she would swipe out at him as if she had a naginata. Falke even managed to ricochet her attacks off of the alleyway walls; Adon would have found it impressive had it not been for those strikes hitting him.

In the end Falke's attempts to keep the jaguar at bay were futile. For every inch she gave, Adon would be hot on her heels with quick jabs, punches and eventually heavy-hitting kicks. The ending blow came after another one of Adon's Jaguar Kicks landed hard on her body. Though Falke tried to block with her staff, the man's might coupled with her exhaustion forced her to drop her guard. A roundhouse kick, like a baseball bat swung in the major leagues, slammed into Falke's side and knocked her into the wall.

Smelling blood, Adon lurched forward. Falke had one last trick up her sleeve, a last desperate attack. In her crouched, agonized position against the wall she brought up her staff once again and angled it in front of her as if Adon was a charging bear and she had a spear. To make things worse, the woman's energy had pooled around the end of the staff. It seemed that the spear comparison was about to be made a reality.

"Falke!"

The two combatants stopped just before colliding. Falke tore her staff back as the dangerous energy at the tip vanished like smoke while Adon, stupefied, nearly lost his footing.

"Easy there sis," came a familiar, brash voice. The two looked down the alley and saw a woman approaching at a jogging pace. "I wondered who was givin' you hell."

And there she was in the flesh, Juri Han.

It had been nearly six or seven months since Adon had last seen her, and the woman had changed since then. Juri's jet-black hair was much longer, perhaps down to the small of her back, and her bangs had been dyed some shade of purple or pink; Adon was never the best judge of color. Wearing a nondescript sweater, hooded jacket and long pants, from a distance or passed by on the street Juri hardly would have drawn any attention to herself. Her pale, porcelain skin, vivid violet eyes and tiny eyebrows were the woman's most defining characteristics besides her bust and legs. But by far the only thing Adon could focus on were those thin lips that were pulled back in a bright, beaming smile.

"Adon," she chirped. Coming to a stop she put her hands on her hips and gave a shake of her head. "Didn't expect to see you here!"

"Juri, do you-" Falke winced as she took the opportunity to stand back up. She leaned against her staff and held her side. "Do you know this man? He was looking for you, and…"

"Oh really? Yeah, of course I know him. He's uh…" The pause and dampened smile, however slight it was, did not go unnoticed by Adon. "He's a friend."

Technically that was true, yet Adon felt his stomach drop.

"A friend?" Falke furrowed her brow and pointed right at Adon. "I thought this man was a bounty hunter. He refused to tell me anything! Had I known-"

"What was I supposed to do? Trust some random woman I had just met?" Adon growled as he challenged Falke's probing glare with one of his own. "That Psycho Power of yours doesn't do you any favors."

Falke opened her mouth to reply before the sound of Juri scoffing and chuckling cut her off.

"Ha! Classic misunderstanding. Knowing you," Juri said as she nodded towards Adon, "you probably threw the first punch."

"No, that was me. He called me a 'failed experiment'," Falke interjected; sounding more like a hurt child than a mature woman. "I… I lost my temper."

Disappointment flashed in Juri's eyes for a second until she caught the confused look from Adon.

"Ouch. You're lucky it was me who came to break up the fight instead of Ed." Coming close enough to whisper, Juri continued. "Falke and Ed were kids when they got snatched up by Shadaloo. I don't know all the details myself, but let's just say that Bison had a thing for blondes."

One didn't need to go through many mental hoops to understand what Juri was getting at. With the adrenaline having worn off and with Falke no longer a threat, Adon couldn't help but feel a tinge of remorse. His ego demanded that he never apologize for anything, so even he thought it was uncharacteristic of him to even try. Still…

"I uh, it wasn't my intention to strike such a sensitive nerve," Adon reassured the woman he had been beating on a couple of minutes before. "So, I'd like to apologize."

Falke didn't seem all that convinced, but she knew better than to pick apart a proud man's attempt at extending the olive branch. She grumbled, shrugged and nodded and soon went to work on putting her staff Harmony away. As she went about retracting the two ends so it could fit on her hip Adon spoke up once more.

"How exactly do you two know each other?"

"Oh it's a story alright, but that can wait 'till later," Juri said. "Listen, I love alleyways as much as the next high-class girl, but let's go somewhere a little more comfortable and private, yeah?"

"Back to the den?" Falke wondered aloud. "That's a good idea. I'll see you there in a moment or two. I want to make sure that we're not being followed."

"Good thinkin', Falke."

The taller woman brushed past Adon and headed down the alley back towards the bar, albeit with a subtle limp. No blood had been spilled in the fight, but rest assured that both combatants were going to wake up the next morning and find bruises all over their limbs. Even now Adon could feel an aching in his bones; he could only imagine how much Falke must be hurting after the punishment he put her through. The fact that she was walking away was commendable. Falke stopped at the end of the alley, studied the street beyond and soon dipped out of sight with a set of motorcycle keys in hand.

Good, Adon thought. The third wheel was gone. Now he could get down to business without having to worry about an audience.

"So… a friend, huh?"

There were so many things that Adon expected from Juri. She could have rolled her eyes and scoffed, she could have told him right then and there that she was over him, in a more extreme case she could have blushed and turned away or there could have been nothing to say at all. What Adon did not expect were Juri's hands grasping the front of his jacket. She surged forward, pinned the larger man against the nearby wall and pressed her body against his. A hungry, predatory look was in her eyes, but far more important was the longing hidden behind it all.

Adon was a powerful predator in his own right, and yet Juri stood a head shorter than him as the vicious, implacable wolverine, or more aptly, the spider who challenged anything and everything that wandered into her web. She raised herself up and kissed Adon. Soft thin lips dominated the man, the very same that he remembered back in Bangkok all those months ago. The war drum that was Adon's heart pounded away within his chest; he was too stunned to reciprocate the kiss, but damned would he be if he pushed Juri away.

It felt like an hour before Juri finally pulled away with a sheepish smile on her face.

"Sorry," she cooed. "Didn't want Falke to be even more uncomfortable just yet. Besides, it's none of her business, right?"

A few seconds passed by with Adon looking like he had never seen anything quite so alien in all his life. The silence unnerved Juri of all people and put a damper on that sly smile of hers.

"Uh… Is it the hair?"

"What? No! No, of course not," Adon reassured her as he shook out of his stupor. "I love your hair! It's… it's nice. It always has been." He felt so pathetic standing before her like a schoolboy with a crush, but the warmth that came from Juri's kiss felt too good to be brushed aside. "I'm just… I didn't think that you'd miss me enough to do that."

Before the two had gotten to know each other inside and out, Adon had figured Juri wasn't the kind of person to long for another. She was a wild fighter who found purpose and pleasure in pain, both inflicted and received. But somewhere down the line the veil was lifted and Adon saw Juri as a woman, and she, in turn, saw him as a man.

"Was there a reason why you wanted to see me?" Juri asked.

It took a great deal of self-restraint for Adon to keep his eyes on Juri instead of wandering down her front and examining her stomach.

"Wanting to see you was reason enough," he half-lied.

"I wanted to see you again too. I thought about you, you know. A lot." Juri started off down the alley, but her confident swagger had been replaced with a reticent woman's meander. Of course Adon would follow; like a dog, if need be. "I mean, knowing me, the things I've done and the stuff I get myself into, it came as a surprise that I thought of you."

"How do you figure?"

"I can count on one hand the number of people who not only know me, but get me. You're part of an exclusive club, Adon." The woman chuckled and shook her head. "When the Black Moons incident came to a close and Bison truly, truly bit the dust, I didn't know what to do with my life. A part of me figured that I ought to just fade away. But I met a lot of people who actually gave a damn about what happened to me, and uh, it reminded me of you."

On the street, even with Adon's red hair amongst a variety of blacks and browns, the two enjoyed the feeling of being just another face in the crowd. They could hide in plain sight and talk in private with the hustle and bustle of city life serving as muffling ambience. Though some people gave them an odd look or two, they were gone and submerged in the midst of a whole new batch of people before any questions could be raised. Being confined to a mere sidewalk meant that space was limited, but Adon didn't expect Juri to sidle up beside him. She was so close that Adon could smell whatever hair products she used!

"You're saying that you missed me?" As arrogant as Adon was, he had his limits. Scratch that, he figured he could tell when something was too good to be true. "I'm about at my wits' end here. There must be a catch."

"Huh?"

"Juri, listen. If I know you, then you most definitely know me more than I know myself. I'll admit it: I'm mean and loud."

"Yeah I know," Juri replied with a reassuring grin. "You can be a real arrogant prick. While I do like that about you, you're so much more than that. You and I aren't one-dimensional, so don't think like that." She reached out and grasped Adon's arm to both comfort him and direct his gaze back down at her. "Look… I like ya. I like you enough to say that damn word. I know you feel the same way, 'cuz why else would you come looking for me?"

Having Juri on his arm was such a foreign feeling, but it certainly did give Adon some comfort. It was absurd to see a woman so inclined to fight and stir up trouble could be capable of such empathy. He looked into those violet eyes of hers and held his breath as he tried to come up with something to counter her argument, but there was nothing he could find. If having Juri Han of all women as a girlfriend was wrong, then Adon didn't want to be right.

"Come on. Let's make up for lost time," Juri cooed as a daring glint appeared in her eyes. "I wanna show you what Seoul has to offer, then I'll let you stay over at my place. Sound good?"

"I… Sure." Adon wasn't too convinced himself, so he tried again. The worried frown he had been wearing morphed into a more confident smile. "Yeah, that does sound good. Alright, it's settled then."

The day was still young, and so too were the two fighters. What would follow was unknown to Adon, though if he truly knew Juri, he could only suspect an evening fit to rival the one spent in Bangkok. Hopefully there wouldn't be another fight in an alley to contend with, or worse, an entire arcade fried out of order!


	3. Accepting

"I love this place. As a kid, everything was so big and tall. The skyscrapers stretched on for miles, the lights were brighter than the stars and it felt like you could spend your entire life exploring the city and still not experience everything it had to offer. Looking at it all now, I'm still in awe."

"You know your city better than I know my own."

"Well, I was born here. Born and raised, but leaving the country every so often with my mom and dad when duty called. I guess you could say that it made me appreciate what I had back home." Juri took a moment to stop and look up at Adon with a reassuring smile. "You know, Seoul and Bangkok aren't all that different."

"Oh, I don't doubt that. Big commercial districts, shopping centers, business and industrial sectors…" The red-haired man rolled his eyes and shrugged. "But, as I said before, you know your city better than I know my own. Then again, I didn't come from Bangkok, nor is it really 'my city'. I wouldn't be able to stand that lifestyle for long."

As much as Adon loved the attention of adoring fans and strutting about crowded streets with his head held high, he needed peace of mind that he could only find in nature or alone. A beautiful stream through a dense forest, a secluded hilltop or even an hour to himself was more than enough to help him collect his senses. For Juri, she was a woman who enjoyed just about all aspects of city life such as busy streets, dark, dank alleyways, vibrant establishments and more. She was on a whole other level of extroverted compared to Adon.

"Sure, I can see it," Juri replied. "Deep city life isn't for everyone. Even I need a break from time to time. That's why there's parks, temples and cafes."

"A trek through the forest or fishing in a creek would be right out in your book," Adon surmised with a disappointed shake of his head. He brightened up as an enticing thought took hold. "Do you like the water? Thailand has a few hot springs. My village, Pai, for instance. I'll take you there sometime."

Adon half-expected Juri to turn him down, but instead, the woman beamed up at him.

"Really? I've been to a bathhouse and sauna before, but they're always so crowded and stuffy. Relaxing in a hot spring, though… now that sounds good. I could pack a bag for the day and soak in my bikini." Those violet eyes of Juri's gleamed with a mischievous aura as she leaned into Adon's side. "You probably know the best, most secluded spots. If it's just you and me, I wouldn't have to wear anything at all."

On these busy streets Adon had to keep moving, yet he was stunned nonetheless by the woman's words. He had the inkling to just brush it all off, but his mind worked fast. There Juri would be, deep in a luscious rainforest submerged in a steaming hot spring. Long, raven hair down, violet eyes glimmering over the water, pale porcelain skin radiant and free from blemishes... and as nude as the day she was born, sporting a fetching grin that only a minx like her could pull off. Adon stirred; he couldn't look away, neither in his vision nor here now.

"Nothing at all?"

"Mhmm. After all, why not? I'd say we've gotten to know each other pretty well," Juri said, doubling down. "Of course, I'd expect you to do the same."

"You realize that I wouldn't be able to keep my hands to myself," Adon countered with a bold face. "But you'd like that, wouldn't you, Juri?"

Juri giggled at that and told Adon all that he needed to know in reply.

Downtown Seoul was a fine place, but it seemed that Juri wasn't eager to lead Adon into its beating heart. Instead she took him to what was known as the "international district" where, while still very much Korean at heart, a smorgasbord of cultures, cuisine and entertainment was prominent. It was a modern area that worked hand in hand with nature's trees, shrubs and more to create a pleasing, inviting look. Traffic was lighter here and the prices were sensible, something that Juri sought after. She was technically still a wanted woman, so heading to a five-star restaurant or living it up downtown with a sore thumb like Adon wouldn't have been wise.

Seeing as Adon had made a point to feed Juri some cultural comfort food, she sought to return the favor. For her, nothing was more comforting than spicy bulgogi, kimchi and South Korea's world-famous barbecued meats. It may not have been as original as Tom Yung Goong, but Juri didn't care.

"You picked a good day to come here. Tuesdays are so slow it's painful, but there's still plenty of restaurants and bars open. C'mon, we'll do some grilling," Juri said as she took Adon by the hand and led him down a bustling side street.

"Grilling?"

"Yeah! Pork, chicken, steak, brisket, the works."

"I never figured you for a grilling woman," Adon replied.

"It comes with the culture. Grow up in South Korea and you learn how to season and marinate all kinds of meat. I know you love fish; I'll see if I can get some for ya."

As for the restaurant in question, it was a sleek, modern establishment with smooth wooden walls, industrial tables fit for large groups and a large bar in the back stocked with a wide variety of drinks from all around the world. As Juri checked in with staff Adon worried that someone would recognize her and chaos would ensue, but no-one paid her any mind. On the contrary, standing behind a woman who had extraordinary confidence and a firm grasp on all things Korean BBQ had Adon feeling out of place. Just about everyone in the restaurant was looking at the red-headed Thai instead of the feisty woman he was with. However, Adon took it all in stride and even lavished the attention.

Looking out over the families and couples gathered, Adon sported his typical arrogant smirk and shrugged.

"You're staring at a true Muay Thai Legend. Go on, look all you like, but there'll be no photos and no autographs," he declared. "I will not be disturbed!"

Such a pompous display had its desired effects: Adon stroked his ego and the dumbstruck onlookers turned the other cheek. Whether they thought of him as a lunatic or a common, punk tourist didn't matter in the slightest to him. The only opinions he valued at that moment would come from Juri, and she seemed struck with morbid curiosity at his declaration. After the staff led the two to a secluded table- likely so they wouldn't bother other patrons- Juri cracked an approving grin.

"That's the Adon I know," she purred as she sat down. "Where were you twenty minutes ago?"

"I was busy showing that German twig what happens when you antagonize a jaguar. You should have seen it. I had her on the ropes for the longest time."

"As clever as Falke is, I have to admit... with you involved, there's no contest. Dodge her staff, get in her face and she's done."

Juri reached up to her hair and, with a tie in hand, she got to work securing it all in a ponytail behind her. While it made her pinkish, purple bangs more prominent, there was a practical reason for tying her hair up. As customary for almost all Korean BBQ joints, there was a small grill built into the table for customers to cook their meat just the way they wanted. Long hair would be set aflame if it dangled over the grill. Plus the smell of burnt hair was totally unromantic.

"Did you cut your hair at all since I saw you last?" Adon asked, curious as he looked on.

"Mmh, well yeah, though I had it pretty long during the Black Moons incident. My horn-buns were this big," Juri said as she balled her fists, raised them to the sides of her head and shifted them out a bit. Not exactly a foot in length, but still longer than Adon last remembered. "After all that I just wanted to hang loose, so I stopped cutting my hair short. Dying my bangs was recent, though. Glad you like it." She craned her neck and gazed at Adon for a second or two before gesturing to his face. "What about you? You're looking a little scraggly."

Though Adon took pride in his appearance and did his best to keep up his sleek, aerodynamic hairstyle, he had to admit that the months of inactivity hadn't been too kind to him. His red hair was roguishly unkempt and a light layer of stubble was cropped upon his chin. Even the man's sideburns were a little longer, yet nowhere near as comical as muttonchops. Adon would rather throw himself into the river than bear that disaster upon his face. Chuckling in response, the Thai reached out to run his fingers across his chin.

"I just haven't shaved in a few days. Hard to keep up appearances when you're not making appearances."

"Really? How many fights did you have in the past month?"

"Not a single one, and not for lack of trying, mind you," Adon grumbled. "Before that, and for some time after that whole Shadaloo Satellite fiasco, I was swarmed with challengers, but eventually they ran out and the fights became predictable. Fights in the grand stadiums aren't about winning, it's about providing a spectacle. Worse, before the metaphorical well dried up, I just... I fell into a pit. A rut, more like it. It all felt so hollow."

Juri nodded at that with a sympathetic, understanding smile.

"I know that feeling. You get what you want, but it's just not as sweet as you expected it all to be." Juri rolled her eyes and continued on. "Our accomplishments don't have much meaning if we can't share them with other people."

At that moment a server swooped in with a large platter of meat. There was pork, beef, steak, bulgogi, chicken and more, plus tuna, salmon and shrimp. Next came the other ingredients such as rice, vegetables and greens that served to complement or substitute the meats. Large leaves of lettuce were provided as well, of which were used as little edible pockets for the meat and other ingredients when they were ready to be eaten. Finally, there came the seasonings and sauces.

The grill in the center of the table hissed and sparked to life, and soon the grilling was on.

"So, would that be where Falke comes in?" Adon caught the questioning look from Juri and moved to elaborate further. "Did you two meet during that Black Moons incident?"

"Yeah. She and Ed were these two Shadaloo rejects who wanted nothing to do with Bison's bullshit. We fought, got to talking and teamed up not too long after." Juri reached out for a few pieces of meat and plopped them on the grill. Adon, following her example, did just the same with some shrimp and tuna. "Once the world was saved and all that jazz, I tried to fade away. Helping to take down the biggest crime syndicate known to man was all fine and dandy, but it doesn't exactly undo everything you've done. To this day I think I'm still wanted for terrorism, among other things."

Juri took a moment to pause and tend to the meat on the grill. Taking up a few lettuce leaves, she placed a few vegetables in them along with traditional Korean kimchi and dipping sauces. It seemed that she was preparing 'plates' ahead of time.

"Anyway, I went to Tokyo to lay low. One of the biggest, most congested places in the world- I'd be another face in the crowd. But somehow Ed and Falke tracked me down and asked me for help, and just in time too." Juri raised her brows and pulled an exaggerated, concerned face. "The district of Tokyo I was in, Kamurocho, was going crazy at the time. Big war between the yakuza and Korean mafia. Lemme tell you, there's some real dragons and mad dogs there."

"Just goes to show that Bison wasn't the center of the universe, before, during or after," Adon laughed. "Even I can attest to that. I was in Bangkok during the incident, and yet it was business as usual." Juri nodded in agreement at that and went to tend to the meat on the grill. Adon took a few seconds to watch her handiwork before continuing on. "So what did these two need your help with?"

"Well, Ed's a visionary. A cocky, pigheaded kid who wants to do good in the world despite where he came from. Falke's practically his older sister," Juri explained. "Anyway, so he heads up a new organization, Neo Shadaloo, and says that he needs a base of operations to get started."

"Neo Shadaloo? What the- That's an idiotic name."

"I know, right?" The two shared a chuckle between themselves. "I tried to tell Ed off, but Falke had his back. They have their reasons for the name, I'm sure of it, but I still think it's a bad call."

Once the meat was cooked well enough on the grill, Juri reached out to pluck the pieces away. She was quick with her prepared lettuce leaves, but to increase the heat she made sure to add a bit more sauce here and there. Again Adon followed the example, but by the time he had one made up, Juri had four all wrapped up in their lettuce leaves like green, crunchy burritos. She held one out for Adon between chopsticks and beamed.

"Here. Shrimp and kimchi, with some mild sauce."

Adon reached out to pluck the item out from between Juri's chopsticks, yet she pulled away.

"Uh-uh. Open wide." Adon grumbled at the order, but soon he did as he was told. He leaned in, bit the lettuce-wrapped shrimp and kimchi mixture and glanced away to hide his sheepishness. "There you go. Your first taste of Korean BBQ ought to be a good one!"

And indeed it was. The quickest way to a man's heart was through his stomach, and when it came to Adon he was easy to please. Fish, just about any kind, was one of his favorite foods. Shrimp was especially delicious to him in part because he fished for them back in Thailand. He savored the taste of Korean culture on his tongue and found it all so delectable with the kimchi and mild sauce added to the mix. Last but not least, it was Juri's culinary expertise that brought it all together.

"Oh that's good," Adon admitted with a nod. "That's really good."

"You're welcome. Grilling meat is basic, but basic isn't bad at all."

The two took turns grilling different meat and packaged up their products with new, interesting vegetable sets only to deliver them to each other. It was a joyous affair with plenty of conversation and gratitude exchanged back and forth. They ate, revelled in each other's company and soon found themselves full. There was hardly a scrap of meat leftover by the time they were finished. Sauce still fresh on Adon's tongue, the man dabbed at his lips with his napkin and leaned back in his seat with an accomplished sigh.

But the fun wasn't going to end here. During the grilling and eating Juri ordered drinks for both herself and Adon. At first, Adon was wary; he knew what kind of people he and Juri turned into when they were drunk. Juri seemed to remember the time with the Thai rum over six months ago and assured Adon that it was more 'hard water' than anything else, yet still a worthy taste of what her country had to offer. Juri took her glass of beer and raised it towards Adon.

"Gun-bae?" she offered.

Adon didn't hesitate. He took his glass and clinked it against Juri's own, repeating the Korean version of 'cheers' with a good-natured smile. He reeled his head back and took that light beer down in a few seconds flat, but when he looked back at Juri he realized that she had finished her glass long before he did. This wasn't a woman he wanted to challenge to a drinking contest, though then again, Adon figured he could hold his liquor better than her.

"So, what's next?"

"Well, not sure about you, but I wanna do a round of noraebang."

Korean was a tricky language for Adon, but he was certain 'noraebang' was their version of Japanese karaoke. Unlike traditional karaoke in which people sang in front of others, perhaps at a bar or restaurant, noraebang was more private, even classy. One had an entire room all to themselves with plush couches, rich decor, tambourines and soundproof walls to accentuate their singing sessions. It seemed that Koreans took great pride in their singing as noraebang was considered one of the best activities for stress-relief.

"You... You sing? I've never heard you sing," Adon replied, dumbfounded.

"Oh yeah, I sing, and like any other South Korean, I'm a natural. What about you? There are karaoke boxes in Thailand, right?"

"Right, but I don't sing. I'm told that if Sméagol from the Lord of the Rings had a voice, it'd be mine." The accompanying laugh was good-natured, albeit self-deprecating. "No, I'm a much better dancer, and even I'm loathe to admit that."

"You can shriek and be the worst singer the world has ever known, but as long as you're having fun, who cares what other people think," Juri reassured. "Besides, I don't mind your voice. In fact, when you get it low with just a bit of a growl to it... Kind of a turn on, actually."

"Is that so?" Adon lowered his voice and soon sported a sly smile. "I understand. Very few people are privy to a proud animal's intimate company."

"Mhm, you know what else really turns me on?"

"What?"

A waiter came back at that moment with the bill and, much to Adon's chagrin, Juri pushed it over towards him.

"When someone helps with the bill," she replied with a smirk.

* * *

After dinner Juri took Adon over to a sleek, multistory building just a block away from the restaurant. It was a popular noraebang venue, though on that day the locals and tourists were out doing other things. The interior was flashy, modern and well-kept with professional, smartly-dressed staff there in the lobby who were happy to answer questions and lead patrons to their private rooms. There was an option to get drinks and snacks such as fruit platters, but Juri turned it down. She had had enough to eat if her grilling expertise had anything to say about it.

If it were anyone else, Adon wouldn't have stepped foot in a place like this. Juri brought out the unusual in him, and though it seemed uncomfortable at first, eventually Adon grew to enjoy it. He tended to enjoy just about everything Juri threw his way.

Secluded in their paid room with a fair amount of time, Juri and Adon took stock of their surroundings. The noraebang room had crisp, modern seats, sleek wooden furniture, heavy drapes to block out exterior lights, plenty of decorations and thick soundproof walls. There had to be some kind of muffling or else the locals would have torn this place down after the first night. As for sound and interface, front and center was a large television screen flanked by tall, impressive speakers. Finally, a fat tablet of sorts sat near the TV for patrons to select their songs on.

"You could murder someone in this room and no-one would hear it," Juri commented as she removed the tie from her ponytail, letting her hair fall down once more. She sat down on a large box couch just across from the TV and reached for the noraebang tablet. "Provided you've got some music to drown it out. So, what's good these days?"

"Y-you're not going to force me to sing, right?" Adon wasn't sure if he had made himself clear back at the restaurant. He sat close to the Korean woman and eyed the tablet in her hands as if she was holding a loaded gun. "I would really prefer-"

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna make you sing. This is all just a bit of fun to let the food settle. I just wanna do a couple songs, then we'll head out."

Adon figured that if his pride was at stake, or if he was drunk enough, he wouldn't have hesitated to jump in and sing. But Juri wasn't challenging him. She knew what he liked and what he didn't, and she seemed to have good sense to not pressure the man into doing something embarrassing. Adon had to admit that it was rather thoughtful of her.

Once a song had been selected the lighting dimmed and the TV screen hummed to life. Juri stood up, grabbed a wireless microphone and, with a wink towards Adon, she psyched herself up for a lively Korean song. Music burst from the speakers, lyrics flashed on the screen and the game was on.

Because the song was entirely in Korean, Adon didn't have much clue as to what the song was about. The music was upbeat, perhaps a pop tune. Either way, Juri supplied her voice to the mix and followed along with the lyrics as if it was second nature. Her hips shook to the beat, her feet tapped and, as she sang along, her arms would swing and rip about as if she was dancing. The woman's voice, in her native tongue, was loud and boisterous with a bit of grit to it, and though it might have driven away the common man, for Adon he found it enticing as always.

Halfway through the song Adon felt his feet tapping, then he began to clap along with every other beat. Juri turned away from the lyrics on the screen, knowing them all by heart, and egged Adon on with a cocky grin and a beckoning gesture. No way in hell would Adon stand up and start cheering, let alone join in on the native noise, but with Juri looking so radiant and happy, he couldn't help but keep the beat and rock along, however subtle he tried to be. Her demeanor was infectious; by the time the song had come to a close, Adon was smiling wide!

"See? Even if you don't like to sing, you can still appreciate the energy, right?"

"It's hard not to let the beat lift your spirits," Adon said. "Especially when there's a talented singer front and center."

"I've got talent in spades, thank you very much," Juri haughtily replied with a wave of her hand. "I'm going to do one more. Now, lemme think..."

Upon the second song selection the room lighting dimmed once again, but darker than before. What was more, a series of multicolored lights slid down from a hidden compartment in the ceiling and, flickering on, they set about painting the room in a variety of warm colors. Lyrics flashed upon the screen, but the music wasn't as upbeat as the second song. Instead there came the soft keys of a piano amongst other instruments at a slow, smooth tempo fit for a languid dance. Again it was all Korean, but Adon didn't need to know the language to know that Juri was singing something romantic.

Well, Adon figured it was romantic, but that came as a shock to him. Juri sang with all the grace and respect that the song demanded, and yet she added some sly looks towards Adon and sensual, constant swaying of her hips all throughout her performance. During the final third of the song Juri was no longer looking at the screen for guidance. She slid over to Adon, ran her hand up his arm and continued her singing from the heart all the while fixing him with an exotic, yet genuinely loving expression. Suffice to say Adon was flattered by the display, even proud, but the performance didn't end there.

Even as the song came to a close and the lights gradually returned to their original settings, Juri lingered so very close to her boyfriend with that luscious, hooded look about her that Adon knew all too well. She slid onto the man's lap, one hand reaching for his shoulder for support while the other hand kept hold of the microphone. There were no further lyrics, yet Juri spoke again in her native tongue, and it was... intoxicating. The smile on her lips, the look in her eyes, the warmth and closeness of her body translated those foreign words for Adon better than a master linguist could ever do.

Again she leaned in for a kiss, and this time Adon was ready. He claimed them with the same fervor she had shown him before, the same longing. A part of him was still somewhat in denial; Adon never thought that he could be in love with someone, and rarer than that, that someone could be in love with him. Not Adon's skills, his reputation or his money, but in his character. Indeed, it seemed too good to be true, but Juri wasn't that disingenuous. If she enjoyed his character, then why not let it shine a bit more?

Barely two seconds into the kiss and Adon reached out for Juri's hand. He knocked the microphone out, clasped his hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze while his other hand reached around to the small of her back. Juri herself seemed surprised if the intrigued noise in the back of her throat was any indication, and yet she enjoyed the intimacy all the same. She in turn took the hand from Adon's shoulder and went to roam his features, grazing over his chest where the muscles could be felt through his clothing, pressing against a gaunt cheek and eventually rubbing at his thigh. The raw, simple pleasure of a kiss was simply liberating to them both.

Drawing back, Juri kept her smile while Adon exhaled and held her close to his chest.

"You can murder someone in this room and no-one would hear it," Adon quoted, much to Juri's amusement. As if on instinct, the man began to rub circles into Juri's backside. "What other things can someone get away with?"

There was a sultry look in Juri's left eye, or it could have been a literal spark. Either way, the woman lit up at the proposition and put a little more pressure on the inside of Adon's thigh. She opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by a phone ringing from close by. Noraebang rooms had phones near the doors for the staff to communicate with their patrons, though it was almost always to tell them that their time was up. Grumbling at the rotten luck, Juri gave Adon a childish, irritated pout.

"Shit… I thought I had more time…"

"Maybe there are cameras hidden in the room," Adon reasoned with a growl.

"Aw, I'd let 'em watch. It'd be the hottest thing they'll ever see."

Begrudgingly Juri slid away from her Thai beau and went to the phone. As expected, the staff informed the two that their time was up. Instead of extending the stay, Juri acknowledged them, hung up and turned back to Adon with an optimistic simper on her lips.

"C'mon you jaguar. Night's not over yet."

* * *

Back out on the streets of Itaewon Juri led the way once again. Instead of heading back into the heart of Seoul or cutting through one of the mighty hotel districts, the two went towards the outskirts. As far as Adon knew about Seoul, or any city for that matter, there were only industrial districts and slums that far out. Juri confirmed that it was the former they were headed towards, which in turn brought up a question that had been burning at the back of Adon's mind since the fight with Falke.

"Falke said that there was a break-in at your family's estate," Adon started out. "Seemed to insinuate that you were looking for something. I mean, I can understand why you can't just go back home with your head held high, but-"

"Oh don't worry about that. That's just Falke testing you," Juri replied with a shake of her head. "Besides, I didn't exactly break in. Locks and codes were changed, sure, but I knew how to get in and out without causing a scene. As for what I was doing, I was getting a few keys for the new place."

The sounds of the city had faded bit by bit until they were a gentle hum in the distance. Steel girders groaned, odd nocturnal animals skittered about in the alleys and, save for the occasional sharp voice or conversation from passerby, it was almost peaceful there in this industrial district. Very few lights were on, and fewer still as Juri led Adon into a large abandoned site. The only building that looked to have power wasn't some factory, foreman's office or loading dock but rather a small two-story warehouse with a flickering light above a side entrance. Juri gestured to the mass of corrugated metal and steel and beamed.

"It's prime real estate. Quiet, unassuming and spacious."

"That's the point, isn't it," Adon realized as he took stock of the warehouse's exterior in the darkness. "Unassuming. But I wager there's more to it, right?"

Juri nodded at that and went through the warehouse's side entrance. Inside it was just as unassuming at first glance, though there looked to be depressions and slots cut into the concrete floor that hinted at some kind of hidden lift or service bay for vehicles. Oil and rust stains were scattered about here and there while the floor was free from obstructions. A heavy switch brought light into the warehouse and revealed a small foreman's office in the corner, of which Juri soon made her way towards. She slipped past the rusted door, reached under a desk for an unseen button and brought forth a card reader that had been hidden inside one of the structure's metal walls.

As the woman produced a thick, old keycard and swiped it into the reader she laid some exposition down for Adon. During the Cold War a prominent Korean War veteran sought to construct a bunker underground in case the bombs were unleashed. In due time the South Korean government got wind of the scheme and pitched in, though they made changes to accommodate key government officials. The Han family, like so many others before them, had access to this bunker in case shit hit the fan, but Bison had been aware of the sanctuary and took control of it, even going so far as to eliminate any and all non-Shadaloo personnel who had access to it. After the Black Moons incident and the subsequent downfall of Shadaloo, the South Korean sanctuary was abandoned, and so it fell into Juri's hands.

"It's a pretty big place. Too big for one person to handle," Juri explained as the key reader beeped and retracted back into hiding. She took Adon back into the main part of the warehouse and, speaking over the churning of heavy machinery, metal and concrete, she added, "but it's nice and cozy, and being the landlord has its perks."

The floor gave way and dipped into the earth to reveal a bay door that opened down the middle with a hydraulic hiss. A surveillance camera poked out from a nearby slot and focused on Adon with a wary whir, but when Juri gave it a wave the device soon slipped back from whence it came. Further inside was a vehicle bay that held two unmarked, nondescript vans and, sitting in a corner underneath a light like a sacred idol, an impressive, sleek Asian motorcycle. Looking at the black and purple color scheme, Adon could tell right away who it belonged to.

"That's my baby. I ride in style, and if I gotta get in and out in a flash, her engine's got a mighty roar." Juri reached out to pat the windshield with a nostalgic smile on her face. "After all that business with Seth and SIN, I went out and got a souped-up motorbike. Oh you should have seen it. It was a mean, green machine, but that made it stand out like a sore thumb." She rolled her eyes and scoffed after a brief pause. "That, and literally everyone kept saying it was a tricycle."

"It had three wheels?" Adon questioned, to which he received a nod. "Sounds like some sort of tuk-tuk."

"Aha, bingo. That was at the forefront of my mind when I got her."

"I remember. I wouldn't let you ride them in Bangkok because-"

"-because those drivers are nothing more than a bunch of scam artists," Juri finished. "I looked into that when I got back, and you're right! Good thing I had a chaperone, huh?"

The twosome moved past the vehicles and slipped into the bunker proper. Given how old this bunker was supposed to be, Adon wasn't expecting much, but his expectations were quickly exceeded once he came across a window. There appeared to be three or four levels to the bunker that extended for 50 meters in each cardinal direction, several rooms that dominated the space and an ever-present assortment of wires and machinery built into the walls, dangling from openings or haphazardly scattered about the floors. Many pieces of architecture still had the Shadaloo logo on them, plus some rooms seemed dilapidated or cluttered which gave the impression that the bunker still needed a lot of work to become fully operational. At least the basics were covered and there was electricity, among other amenities.

Several uniformed men and women were moving about the area, primarily there on the main floor. Desks stuffed with state-of-the-art late 1990's computers formed open cubicles against static consoles and other bits of heavy electronic equipment. Large screens were hung up here and there, some built into the walls of the bunker while others were haphazardly jutting out with wires on full display. Papers, drawing boards and spent coffee cups were scattered about as if a whirlwind had passed through the area; it truly looked to be a busy area yet at this time of night most of the inhabitants were turning in for the day.

Past the main control center of the bunker, the two would come across a rec room stuffed with people. In particular note was the large number of women, most of whom seemed out of place and stiff in their movements and mannerisms. Juri explained that most of Neo-Shadaloo was made up of low-level scientists and guards who had defected from Shadaloo, but also women who had been subjected to the Dolls Program. They weren't as brainwashed as the original, infamous twelve and thus weren't as skilled, but they were no less determined to hunt down the remnants of Shadaloo and do some good in the world.

The main attraction there appeared to be Ed, the head of Neo-Shadaloo, and his second-in-command Falke trying to set up the latest and greatest videogame console. Though the blond-haired lad had an entire organization to take care of and bore tremendous responsibility, he wasn't one to distance himself from his subordinates. Besides, he wasn't old enough to drink yet by American standards, so one couldn't fault him for still acting like a teenager. Once the console was set up and the controllers handed out, just about everyone in the bunker squeezed into any seat they could find.

"Not exactly what I had in mind when I thought of Neo-Shadaloo," Adon commented as Ed and Falke bickered over course selections in some kind of kart-racing game.

"It's Tuesday. Tuesdays are always game night," Juri explained. She reached out for the man's arm and ushered him away. "Which is a good thing, 'cuz we'll get some privacy. C'mon, let me show you my fair share of the place."

Though Adon was curious as to what the official arrangement was between Juri and Neo-Shadaloo, he figured the short of it was good enough. Technically the entire bunker would have gone back to the government after Shadaloo gave it up, though it could be said that the South Korean government either didn't know about it or didn't care. It was more reasonable to say that they forgot about the old thing, and if anyone did take notice, a bribe or assassination here and there from Shadaloo would have been enough to turn their attention away. Juri had the keys to the place and a debt to collect from Ed and Falke, it seemed, so the place belonged to her.

Down a corridor and to the side was a set of double doors that, when opened, revealed another large, open space. Workout equipment and lockers lined the walls while the main space was dominated with padded flooring fit for fighting on. Fans whirred from up above and against the concrete walls. Heavy, bright lights hung down from the ceiling and illuminated the space as clear as day. Besides the padded center and workout equipment here and there, a simple running track encircled the area. There was even a sound system for music if the hanging speakers here and there was any indication.

Suffice to say Adon was mighty impressed by the sight, but there was more to the place. Past all the equipment of this training facility was a set of metal stairs that led up to an overhanging apartment from the looks of things. It was a blocky, concrete and metal tumor attached to an already drab and lifeless interior bunker wall, but on the bright side it seemed roomy. There was probably room for a small kitchen, bathroom and study, plus the large round windows cut into the module's side- obscured with purple drapes or curtains- gave off a personal, inviting air. A makeshift sign hung near the stairs with a spider motif and the words 'Trespassers will get their ass kicked' printed on it, which of course told Adon all that he needed to know about who lived here.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I have other safehouses," Juri said. "But this one's got the best view."

"Overlooking a rainforest, ocean or city, absolutely, but this is a gym."

"You day that like it's a bad thing. When the place is busy, I can feel it. It gets me stoked. But the real perk is that if someone thinks they're hot shit on the center floor, I'll hear about it and roll on down to put them back in their place." When Adon shot Juri a dubious look, the woman doubled-down. "Ed and Falke might be in charge everywhere else, but here? I'm the boss. I've never lost a fight in all my time here."

Having Juri Han as his girlfriend invoked some foreign feeling for Adon in that he ought to support her arrogance. But this was Adon, arrogance incarnate, and he wasn't about to let someone talk big while he was around.

"Prove it."

"Hm?"

"I said prove it. So you've never lost a fight here, but that's because you've been fighting mediocre men and women. Now there's a jaguar on the prowl." Adon could feel his usual grin sweeping across his face, the tightening of his lips, the shine of his teeth. The jaguar within sensed a challenge and was baring its fangs. "Can you honestly handle a wild animal?"

Juri countered with a grin of her own and placed her hands upon her hips.

"There you are! That's more like it! Truth be told, I've been looking forward to a fight with you for over half a year!"

For some, getting into a full-blown fight with a significant other was unthinkable. But fighting was the cold truth that a couple was honest with one another. If a couple couldn't endure one fight, then the relationship was weak. Even when facing a mountain of challenges, a couple can climb over all of it together provided they're no strangers to conflict between each other. Granted, most normal couples didn't get into actual physical fights, but if they did, a little trouble here and there wouldn't be much of a problem. Even better was when the couple loved to fight and grew closer and tighter together because of it!

"Wait right here. I'm gonna slip into something a little more comfortable," Juri cooed, gesturing to her modest civilian attire. "As for you… Tear that shirt off and get ready, baby."

When it came to Juri, she didn't make requests. She turned on her heel, jogged up the stairs to her blocky apartment and disappeared inside before Adon could get a word in. But there was no need for words at that point. Adon had been itching for a fight with Juri for just as long as she had. Discarding clothes left and right, the man soon stepped onto the padded flooring in the center of the gym in nothing more than a pair of dark slacks. No bandages or wrappings for his hands and feet, no headband to keep that plume of red hair held back- just a wild man once again, hungry for another bout with a formidable woman.

After a few minutes of waiting Juri came back down wearing something completely different, and yet familiar all the same. Instead of a black dudou with that intricate purple motif, Juri wore a white version that seemed to strain against her ample chest. Her bare midriff let Adon see the faint outlines of pure muscle. Instead of those baggy white pants, Juri wore what appeared to be a tight set of comfortable black yoga pants, or perhaps they were trousers. Either way, they left nothing to the imagination. Rounding out the outfit were some black ankle guards on bare feet.

With her bangs dyed pink, long hair cascading down behind her back and a new outfit, Adon had to appreciate Juri's new look, no matter if it was just a temporary thing.

"Somehow that's more revealing than what you normally wear," Adon commented with an approving nod and raise of his brows.

"I do feel a little naked without my gloves," Juri admitted as she strode towards the fighting mats. "But it just feels so good to tear off all that heavy stuff and slip into something breezy. And you- You look like some of the yakuza types in Japan, all shirtless with those slacks."

"Maybe, but you won't see any tattoos on me. Those things are career suicide." The red-haired man rolled his shoulders and craned his neck from side to side to work out the kinks. "So, what's your flavor? A no holds barred, unrestrained brawl, or just a friendly spar?"

"Oh god, so tempting! I wanna go at you like we did in the past, but I don't wanna ruin you for the rest of the night. I also don't wanna play around either, so…" Juri shrugged and soon eased herself into her traditional fighting stance- arms raised and at the ready with her legs primed for a sudden kick. "Let's just have some fun!"

"Very well, but none of this," Adon replied as he tapped his left brow.

"I can be spicy without it; don't worry!"

It had been a long time since Adon had fought an unconventional opponent. Until the fights dried up for him, the matches in the ring were consistent enough that he could commit them to muscle memory. All were Muay Thai, or some variation of boxing, and after the matchup Adon had a few days to recover, train and prepare himself for the next bout. Muay Thai was his passion, though he had to admit some variety would have been wonderful, just as it had been back during Seth's tournament and beyond. As he was somewhat rusty, the man hesitated as if he was waiting for the starting bell, yet Juri didn't need such an invitation to unleash herself.

Like an arrow shot from a bow, Juri sprang forward with a knee pressed tight against her chest. She unloaded a front kick out towards Adon's midsection, but she underestimated the man's agility. It had been a long time since she fought him as well! The Thai man sidestepped the strike and slid around to Juri's side, then doubled back when she turned and lashed out with a reverse roundhouse kick. Her heel whizzed past Adon's chest before skirting to a stop against the floor as she got back into position.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to hurt me," Adon teased.

"Maybe I wanna hurt you," Juri countered with a dangerous smile.

Typically, sparring didn't involve much- if any- bloodshed. It was just a fun, friendly activity between combatants to see who was lighter on their feet, who could land the most blows and so on. Adon skipped away from one of Juri's swipes only to get a kick to the side of his leg for his trouble. She had reach and flexibility, but Adon had great power and agility, much like the jaguar he modeled his moves after. Hissing from the strike, the man reached out and repaid Juri's advances with a quick jab to her side.  
Juri seemed easy to please in a fight. Hurting them or getting hurt by them, it didn't matter so long as her opponent was making a good effort. The crazed look in her eyes when struck told Adon that he was doing something right, so he bided his time, ducked away from a high kick and gave her more of what she wanted by snapping a leg against one of her own. It was all a dance between the two, and with their mutual love of fighting it should have been a delight all throughout no matter who came out on top in the end.

Yet as time went on, Adon began to notice that Juri was taking the fight seriously, or rather, there was something personal going on. Her kicks were stronger than they ought to have been. Her banter was short or half-assed. Not known for using her fists that often, the woman lashed out when she had a good window of opportunity and took Adon by surprise. By the time the fourth fist was jabbed against his side, Adon had figured something was off.

"What in th-"

"C'mon, tell me why you really wanted to see me," Juri demanded, cutting Adon off with a sharp tongue and an even sharper kick to his shins.

"I told you. I wanted to-" A cutting swipe from Juri got Adon to duck away and retaliate with a firm kick to her side. "Let me finish!"

"Ooh! Yeah, that's the stuff! Don't get me wrong, Adon. I believe you. No, really, I do! But you're leaving something out, and I'm not gonna let up on you until you clue me in."

A moment's hesitation got Adon a kick to the side, but the thing that stung the most was the fact that Juri had seen through him. It had probably been a knee-jerk reaction to seeing him in that alley a few hours ago, Juri's natural skepticism and suspicion that had kept her alive and well for all these years, but what could have given Adon away? What could have made a glimmer of doubt bubble up into a scenario like this? The cursory glances below the chest, the disbelief at Juri's overt attraction towards him, the way his voice wavered whenever it felt like he was touching on that one night in Bangkok back at the hotel? Truth be told, Adon wasn't a man who held his cards close to his chest, and so it must have been obvious to Juri.

"I was… I was worried."

Another kick to the side was followed by a high kick to his head, the latter of which was deflected.

"Fine! I hadn't seen you since the morning after that night, and yes, I was worried. It had been… what was it- six or seven months?" Juri held her ground and let Adon speak, though she did circle him like a wild animal. To the man's credit he followed her, hands raised in case she struck again. "I don't remember using protection when we were together. I thought… I suppose I had that fear in the back of my mind that you-"

"That I was pregnant?"

"Yes. I know that six months is an awful amount of time to wait until tending to it. I realize that. But it didn't sink in until recently."

A few more lashes, strikes and good hooks were exchanged between the two as Juri ruminated on the man's words. Bit by bit her aggression waned to the point where she was going through the motions, blocking Adon's attacks and following up with her own attacks as if the two were dancing.

"I took a morning-after pill. Truth be told, I was a little worried too," Juri murmured.

"I'm sorry. I should have carried protection."

"Hey, what's with the apology? You couldn't have known. Neither could I! We were drunk, we were comfortable. Stuff happened, and I don't regret it at all." She offered a genuine smile and straightened up from her fighting posture. "So you were worried. Maybe even scared. But you manned up and went in to see for yourself. And lemme tell ya, that's another thing I like to see. A real man handling real shit, taking responsibility."

"So you're not angry?"

Juri laughed at the question and shook her head. Perhaps a little irritated, sure, but not angry. Juri had always been forthcoming and open with herself, so it wasn't much of a stretch to think that she would be a little irritated at Adon's bashfulness. That said, it was touching to know that someone thought so well of her, that someone cared. Even if the reasoning was a little… misguided, the sentiment was still there in spades.

"If I'm fighting you, I'm having the time of my life," Juri replied. "Now c'mon, put those hands back up!"

With the matter settled, the two got back to sparring. Adon, flush with relief, eased himself back into the fight as best as he could. Being on the defensive just wasn't his style, no matter if it was in a fight or elsewhere. He shot a jab to her side, an elbow to the back, a knee to deflect one of her legs and more, though he had to take a few hits in return as he showed more restraint than necessary. While Adon was all too eager to prove his worth to his lover by giving her a fight she'd relish, he didn't want to leave her battered and bruised.

It was a long, arduous fight, and in the end a winner was crowned. Adon felt his stamina wane and, smelling blood, he pooled everything into one final attack. He dodged a kick from Juri by doubling back only to leap forward in a somersault with one leg primed and ready for an overhead strike, his Jaguar Kick. But Juri had seen this one coming, and so Adon collided with nothing. The force of his strike coupled with the one-footed landing left him open to a sweep that sent him flat on his back and out of breath, defeated.

In an instant Juri was upon him. She straddled him and pressed into his chest with her hands to keep him down.

"Game! I win!"

"S-so you have," Adon grumbled, unable to move with over one-hundred and twenty pounds pressed into his midsection. He swabbed at his forehead and managed his unkempt hair. "You read me like a book."

"Photographic memory," Juri replied as she prodded her temple. The weary smile on her lips contorted into a pained wince soon after. "Ah… You hit hard! That's gonna be sore tomorrow."

"Where?"

"My sides. Feels someone took a bat to 'em."

Adon reached up to grasp Juri's hips, then he moved those rough, calloused hands of his up to the afflicted sides. He felt about for anything out of place, any ribs that might need some tending to or muscle that was agitated, but all seemed fine save for a tinge of bruising. Juri's body was smooth and warm to the touch, and her muscle was a delight to feel. Adon pawed at her sides and kneaded the area, massaging the sore skin as delicately as he could manage. A soft hiss from Juri soon transitioned into a low purr of approval, and so too did that wince of hers shift back into a smile.

From his position beneath the spider, Adon could see in exquisite detail how she narrowed her eyes and looked him over. The coy glance to his hazel eyes, the flick to lips and strong jawline, the deep study of his muscles and the intricate ripples; all didn't escape the jaguar's gaze.

"See something you like?"

"Mhm. A rough-looking wild man."

"You know I like the view from down here," Adon replied, his voice low.

Just as before, back in the noraebang room, Adon caught the sultry look in Juri's eye. He couldn't deny that he too had the desire. Already his innocent, careful kneading of her sides had dipped down to her hips once more, and from there, to the globes of Juri's ass. Adon wasn't concerned about being discovered. He knew that Ed, Falke and the other residents of the Neo-Shadaloo hideout would be busy with their game, and knowing how Mario Kart or Mario Party worked, the ensuing arguments and fights would be so extreme that no-one would notice the odd sound or two coming from the training facility. Juri lowered herself deeper against Adon's chest, her hands pressed into the floor beside his head and her hips shook from side to side, grinding against the hands pressing into her from behind and the building arousal from below.

"Hey," she cooed. "You wanna do it? Right here, right now?"

"God yes," Adon replied. His own look of desire began to fade as hesitation took hold. "Though…"

"Do you trust me?"

"W-what kind of-"

"Yes or no?"

"Of course I trust you."

"Then reach around and help undo my dudou," Juri said with a wink.

She leaned in closer until she was now laying atop the man, eager to close in on those rugged lips once again. Adon met Juri halfway, raising his arms back up from those plush hindquarters to work on the strings of her dudou. The woman was feisty; though there was passion and tenderness in the kiss just as the previous times, this one had a primal desire first and foremost. The man felt her tongue glide across his lips during the kiss and, between short gasps for air, eventually Juri got through Adon's defenses, and he didn't mind in the slightest. He managed to grasp the strings of Juri's dudou, work his fingers undoing it all and then pull away.

Feeling the string slip over her skin, Juri put an end to the kiss and rose back up to her previous straddling position. Adon was torn between those luscious lips of hers, her dark violet eyes and, most prominently of all, the swell of her naked breasts. He felt that he could stare for hours and not get tired of the sight! The white dudou was left upon Adon's chest, but when he went to move it to the side he noticed something was attached to the inside. He turned the fabric over and took a closer look only to sigh in relief and chuckle.

Roughly half a dozen or so condoms had been taped to the inside of Juri's dudou.

"Only six?" Adon scoffed.

"What do you mean, only s-" Juri's eyes narrowed once again and she started to giggle. Leave it to Adon to inject arrogance into any situation. "Don't worry, I've got more in my room… Provided you can keep up, that is."

"Challenge accepted."

* * *

Author's Note: Rating may be updated in the future if I decide to detail the ending further. Thanks for reading!


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